Submersible motor lead connector



Oct. 16, 1962 F. o. LUENBERGER 3,059,210

SUBMERSIBLE MOTOR LEAD CONNECTOR Filed Oct. 26. 1959 V INVENTOR. Flat-059106 0. Iva/B52652 aygmuwzw) United States Patent 3,059,210 SUBMERSHBLE MQTOR LEAD CGNNECTGR Frederick G. Luenberger, Los Angeies, Calii, assignor to US. Electrical Motors, 1116., Los Angeles, Calif, a corporation of California Filed Oct. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 848,683 1 Claim. (Cl. 33994) This invention relates to detachable electrical connectors, and more particularly to connectors for submersible apparatus, such as motors adapted to be lowered into a well. Leads for such motors extend from the top of the well and are exposed to the liquid in the well. The motor is sealed against any appreciable entry of liquid. The detachable connector at the end of the lead is adapted to cooperate with a mating connector carried by the motor.

It is one of the objects of this invention to improve, in general, detachable connectors of this character.

It is another object of this invention to ensure against the entry of well liquid into the motor casing whether the mating conducting members be in operative engagement or not.

It is still another object of this invention to facilitate the manufacture of the parts for the connector.

It is still another object of this invention to make it possible to maintain a seal for insulation material, such as a viscous silicone, around the separable parts, and retained by aid of the liquid pressure in the well against removal therefrom.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating an embodiment of the invention cooperating with a sealed casing for a submersible motor;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of the connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged detail fragmentary sectional view of the connector illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a mold structure for forming one of the elements utilized in the invention.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated a sealed casing 1 for a submersible electric motor. This sealed casing carries an upper ring or collar 2 appropriately welded to the top of the casing 1. Since the details of the motor are of no consequence in relation to the present invention, further description of the motor and its enclosure is considered unnecessary.

Collar 2 is provided with a tapered aperture 3 for accommodating the stationary parts of the detachable connector structure.

Thus the detachable connector structure includes a conducting post 4. This post 4 is securely supported in a plug in the collar 2 as by the aid of the tapered aperture .3. This tapered aperture 3 accommodates the plug 5 of insulation material. This plug 5 may be securely adhered to the tapered aperture 3, as by the aid of an epoxy plastic material.

Furthermore, the plug 5 may be molded around the post 4 and anchored thereto as by the aid of the annular grooves 6 formed in the exterior surface of the post 4.

The inner end 7, of post 4, extends into the sealed casing 1 so as to provide a connection for the terminals 8 of the stator winding 9 of the motor.

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The tapered aperture 3 is provided with a cylindrical counterbore 10 which surrounds the upper portion of the post 4. This post 4 is adapted to be engaged by a conducting socket member 11 that resiliently fits over the post 4. The relatively thin wall of the socket member 11 is provided with one or more slots 12 to lend resilience to the socket member. The upper portion of the socket member 11 is provided with a recess for the accommodation of the stranded conductor 13 leading upwardly to the surface of the well. Conductor 13 is shown as of cable form covered by an insulation covering 14.

Molded over the socket member 11 is a sleeve 15 of insulation material such as neoprene, capable of some slight deformation. This neoprene sleeve 15 extends downwardly and completely surrounds the socket member 11. It is provided at its upper end with a tapered portion 16. its lower portion may be urged into close contact with a shoulder 17 formed at the top of the insulation plug 5.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, the sleeve 15 carries at an intermediate portion thereof an integral ring or flange 13. The upper surface 19 of this flange is flat. The sleeve 15 has an undercut portion 20* in order to widen this flat surface 19. The lower surface 21 is curved or convex. Furthermore, the outer diameter or periphery of the ring or flange 18 is slightly larger than that of the cylindrical internal surface 11 Accordingly, when the parts are urged to cooperative position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the flange 18 is slightly compressed and serves to seal the space formed by the recess 14 around the post 4. This ensures against the entry of water exterior of the casing 1. In addition, the pressure of water urges the flange 18 downwardly and outwardly, thereby providing an adequate seal against a surface 10.

Furthermore, in order to improve the seal around the coacting conducting elements, the cavity formed by the surface 10 may be tilled with an insulating and sealing compound, such as a grease or silicone jelly. As the socket member 11 is pushed into place, the ring seal 18 will be contracted and allow the excess insulation material to be ejected past the periphery of the ring 18.

When the parts are in full contacting position of FIG. 2, the liquid pressure exerted upon the elements externally of the casing 1 serves to maintain the parts in cooperative contact.

In order to ensure against disengagement of the post 4 and socket 11, because of an excessive pull on the conductor 13, use is made of a horseshoe-shaped retaining member 22. This retaining member is disposed between the upper sloping surface 16 of the sleeve 15 and the lower surface of a flange 23, formed as a part of the motor casing. This retainer prevents any material upward pull on the conductor 13.

In order to ensure that there be an effective seal between the ring or flange 18 and the surface 11 the periphery of this ring should be made smooth. Where split molds are used for forming the ring 15, a ridge is inevitably formed corresponding to the split in the mold.

In order to avoid the necessity of smoothing off the exterior periphery of the ring, use may be mad of a mold structure for the sleeve 15, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In this figure, the halves 24 and 25 are shown as split along a line 26. However, these halves do not include those portions of the mold which define the outer periphery of the ring 18. Instead, a continuous ring mold 27 is provided for this purpose. This ring mold defines the exterior surface by the aid of the cavity 28 cooperating with the other parts of the mold structure. Supplemental half-rings 29 and 3% may be provided to form the balance of the structure. The continuous ring mold 27 ensures against the formation of a ridge transversely of flange 18.

The inventor claims: a

In a sealed detachable electrical connector: 21 post; a cooperating socket member fitted over said post forming electrical contact therebetween; means sealingly anchoring the post; a sleeve made from insulation material surrounding the socket member; means forming a circumambient surface around the post accommodating said sleeve therein; there being an annular space between said surface and the sleeve; a resilient and flexible sealing ring integral with said sleeve spaced intermediat the ends of the sleeve having an upper and lower surface and compressibly spanning said annular space, the lower surface of said ring being tapered inwardly and downwardly from said circurnambient and upper surfaces and forming a resilient seal against said surface to define a sealed chamber between said ring and the anchored base of said post, the upper surface of said ring lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said post and a portion of said sleeve being undercut adjacent said upper surface to provide a greater radial depth for said upper surface than said lower surface; and a viscous fluid filling said sealed chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,731,597 Spear Oct. 15, 1929 2,277,599 McGinnis Mar. 24, 1942 2,473,284 Knaggs June 14, 1949 2,476,603 Hines et a1 July 19', 1949 r 2,704,355 Holton Mar. 15, 1955 2,760,175 Dunn Aug. 21, 1956 2,788,503 Millis Apr. 9, 1957 2,897,471 De Tar July 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 770,30-7 Great Britain Mar. 20, 1957 

